Former Red Bull Racing man Helmut Marko has claimed that Christian Horner did not want to promote Max Verstappen to Red Bull in 2016. The Austrian has revealed that Horner was skeptical about moving Verstappen to the senior team to replace Daniil Kvyat after just four races that season.
May 15 marked the 10-year anniversary of Max Verstappen’s debut for Red Bull Racing at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix. The driver, who was just 18 at the time, became the youngest ever F1 race winner that day, immediately shutting down any critics who were against the move of bringing him into the team.
But former Red Bull Racing advisor Helmut Marko has now claimed that even former team principal Christian Horner was against the move of bringing Verstappen into the team at the time. Speaking to De Telegraaf, the 83-year-old said:
“Max’s teammate Carlos Sainz was very disappointed that we didn’t choose him. But for us, it was a clear and simple decision. Team principal Christian Horner disagreed with promoting Max after just four races in 2016; he was against it.
“Just as many rivals and critics put me through the wringer and said that Max was still far too young and that this was a dangerous move.”
Verstappen replaced Daniil Kvyat at Red Bull that year. Marko also stated that the Russian driver had to be replaced following poor performances in 2016. Marko added that while Kvyat had a satisfactory debut season in 2015, he was unhappy in the car right from testing the following year, and crashes and poor performances meant the team had to make the decision to replace him with Verstappen.
Over the past 10 years, Verstappen has amassed 71 race wins and 48 pole positions with the Milton Keynes-based outfit, paving the way for four world championship titles.
Helmut Marko claims he was relieved after Max Verstappen’s Red Bull debut win
Helmut Marko also said that Max Verstappen‘s debut win for Red Bull came as a “huge relief” for him and team owner Dietrich Mateschitz, as it put an end to all the criticism they had received for the move. He added that the moment was also great for the Austrian brand.
Speaking about Verstappen’s debut win, Marko said:
“For me personally, and also for Dietrich, it was a huge relief. People thought we were crazy, but now we could shut all the critics up.”
“It was great for Red Bull as a brand: a fresh, young face as a representative figure. Mentally, Max was much older than eighteen.”
Marko also reflected on the fact that Verstappen had to hold off world champion Kimi Raikkonen in his Ferrari to claim the win. He said that the teenager showcased “intelligence and maturity” to keep the Finnish driver behind, who was quicker than him on the straights.
Edited by Samyak Sharma